This week at Face Plus we are experiencing Royal Wedding Mania. I personally cannot wait to spend my Saturday night on the couch with a glass of Pimm’s watching the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. My partner can’t seem to understand my obsession. I was always a big fan of Suits and the British royal family, respectively, so it’s only natural that I’m invested in their relationship. There’s just something so fairy-tale like about a prince choosing a commoner (their words, not mine) to be his princess wife. Meghan is an incredibly accomplished woman in her own right. She is a talented actress and a human rights activist who also happens to be divorcee and a few years older than her fiancé. As much as it’s a traditional love story, it’s also a very modern indication of the Royal family accepting a new age woman into their conservative royal world.

When I read that Meghan Markle was 36 years old I was shocked. She looks a decade younger. With gorgeous, glowing skin an even complexion and only the slightest touch of smile lines she gave me even more reason to be totally envious of her.

As an actress Meghan would need full use of her facial muscles, ruling out excessive use of muscle relaxants and filler. While there are reports circulating online that Meghan has had a touch of Botox to smooth out her frown line, you can tell that she really looks after her skin which is the true testament to her ageless appearance.

I asked our cosmetic injectors to tell me about the kind of treatments that they think Meghan Markle has undergone. Our dermal therapists were quick to jump in and say that it’s obvious she has a very strict and consistent at home skincare regime supplemented by regular facials. By examining close up photos of Meghan, you can see her pores are tight and her complexion even. When you look at photos of Meghan’s mum, you can clearly see where she got her amazing features from, so her genes also have a lot to do with it.

Our cosmetic injectors believe that if Meghan was to try any injectable treatment it would most likely be PRP (platelet rich plasma) – your body’s natural alternative to artificial muscle relaxants and filler.

Using your own body’s resources, PRP works by drawing a vile or 2 of your own blood and injecting higher concentrations of platelets back into your skin. This will release growth factors to the treatment site and stimulate new cell growth and regeneration. Your blood is made up of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. When platelets are activated in the body they release healing proteins called growth factors. Growth factors create an accumulative result, which assists the body to repair itself by regenerating new tissue, improving blood supply and would healing, all of which are important factors in regenerative therapies.

At Face Plus we recommend between 3 to 6 treatments of PRP, 1-month apart for patients to see noticeable signs of skin tightening, improved texture and tone, with less fine lines and wrinkles.

PRP can either be injected directly into the skin using a tiny syringe used for administering muscle relaxants or it can be needled into the skin. This treatment is known as micro-needling or dermapen. This electric ‘pen’ has a series of tiny needles on the end that work to quickly and gently prick the skin to create micro wounds. These wounds engage the body’s natural repair process, encourages new skin growth and repair, increasing collagen and repairing damages or areas that may be scarred.

When combining needling and PRP, the skin is first needled then the plasma is directly applied to the surface of the skin, as it directly feeds into the micro wounds. The direct contact enhanced the effectiveness of PRP as the plasma is injected into the desired area.